I submitted a FOIA request to the agency on March 10, asking for financial documents that would substantiate the allegations of frivolous spending. On April 20, the agency responded that no such document exists.

The FDA is refusing to say which companies received recalled shipments of Egyptian strawberries contaminated with Hepatitis B last year — an act the agency defends as protecting companies’ trade secrets.

Some government agencies just hate releasing their records. The FBI and the USDA recently have proved they’ll do just about anything to skirt transparent recordkeeping, and I’d like to add the Federal Aviation Administration to that list.